Wiwa Music

Seen from an approach of the anthropology of music, the present investigation privileges the analysis that starts from the vision of the sonorous universe of the Wiwa culture. This emic approach is of great value as a starting point for the study and provides the necessary instruments of analysis and synthesis for new research of this type. Through this methodology, that of combining both emic and ethic versions, some underlying processes and structures of acoustic phenomena and musical discourse were defined. This favored the establishment of new concepts whose background could be significant for the understanding of his music.

Based on a research process on the music of the Wiwa culture of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, an audiovisual work was carried out, 4 works were created (compositions for different chamber formats) and a book was published with the results of the aforementioned research.

This production was based on the archives compiled during the field work and the corresponding analysis of the unpublished material provided during the research.

The present investigation has been conceived from compiled recordings on the indigenous orality of the zone. For the development of musical works, the soundscape environment determined by the different circumstances of the natives’ daily life, the climatic conditions of the area, the review of their myths, the significant narrations and the musical expressions of their culture are contemplated.

Likewise, new sound recordings were made, which were partially classified and taken into account as compositional material and for pedagogical use.

The above implies not only a re-signification of the values of the indigenous musical culture through the exercise of compilation, analysis and musical creation, but also the publication of unpublished material that is the object of study and analysis from the approach of other related disciplines.